The grim block of bluestone slabs once home to the last man hanged in Australia is being turned into a chic restaurant and wine bar.

The new additions are part of the billon-dollar reimagining of the heritage-listed Pentridge Prison site, which operated as Melbourne’s main remand and reception prison until 1997 but is now a lifestyle precinct in Coburg.

Restaurant North & Common and wine bar Olivine are part of the Shayher Group’s plans to bring shopping, dining, cinema, events, restaurants and a hotel into its bluestone walls.

North & Common will be adjacent to the prison gate while Olivine will be located in B division, which housed the likes of Ronald Ryan as well as recurring offenders and long-term, violent criminals. Ryan escaped from the prison in 1965 and was found guilty of killing a prison guard — he was hanged in 1967.

With such a deep history to keep intact, Olivine has had to find a way to marry the past with the future.

“Put simply, Olivine marries food, wine, art, community, while the textural bluestone walls give a nod to the history of the space,” Olivine beverage manager Liinaa Berry said.

“An impressive wine list might get people through the door but it’s the experience they have with you which keeps them coming back.”

Jail cells and an exercise yard have given way to booths with plush finishings, moody hues and opulent fixtures.

Meanwhile, dishes such as grilled sardines with smoked buttermilk would have never made it onto the prison menu.

Both venues are expected to open to diners in early 2023. For more details, head to olivinewinebar.com.au

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